Casas, 49, described by friends as a strong-willed woman, underwent two surgeries. The illness once shoved her into a tearful bout of depression.

The cancer is gone, but Casas still undergoes periodic medical exams. "Everything looks good. I get blood work every three months," she said.

Casas, a community health advocate for many years, still shares her illness and worries with television viewers and others on the Internet.

"Illness changes you," she said. "I'm more focused, less selfish. I'm sensitive on a different level, more understanding of other people around me and more aware of myself and the effect I can have on others."

A support group Casas formed for thyroid cancer patients sometimes attracts as many as 60 visitors to monthly meetings.

The "new" Estela Casas celebrated a birthday in November with a night out with some of her girlfriends, something she had not done in years. The outing ended on a memorable note -- at a karaoke bar.

"Like an onion, I've peeled away stuff to find other things," she said.

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"I've always been a very serious person. I've found out that I'm more fun now."

Casas hopes her support group will reach out to more people with thyroid disease in the next year. "The goal is not to bring attention to myself but maybe bring attention to a problem through me," she said. "It's un deber or something you know you have to do."

Once in a while, Casas wonders whether others now consider her weak, more vulnerable because of her illness. Then she erases those thoughts and thinks instead of the many blessings: family and friends and the countless viewers who offered prayers and encouragement.

"I'm enjoying life at a different level and that's cool," she said. "My happy moments are bigger and better."